NS marks Norfolk export coal facility upgrade

Norfolk Southern said Thursday it has completed a major upgrade to its Lamberts Point export coal transload facility in its hometown of Norfolk, Va., positioning the Class I to remain the largest and fastest coal transload provider in the Northern Hemisphere.

More commonly known simply as Pier 6, the facility transfers coal hauled by train from Appalachian coal fields to ships to serve the export market, NS said.

The upgrade, costing $18 million, was completed on schedule over a 90-day period beginning in August. It involved major overhauls of the facility's dumper system, which transfers coal from rail cars to a conveyor system, and its two loaders, massive rolling structures that deliver the coal to the ships.

The dumper system consists of two pairs of dumpers, each pair handling two coal cars at a time, that rotate the cars 135 degrees and dump their contents into a conveyor system that transports the coal to the pier.

NS said the upgrade consisted of replacing the structural steel that supports the north set of dumpers and the hopper bins that funnel the coal onto the conveyor belts. The dumpers, at 500,000 pounds each, were lifted by cranes and placed on the ground. While the steel support structure was being replaced, the dumpers also received a complete electrical and mechanical overhaul. The south set of dumpers will receive the same upgrade in the spring of 2013.

New solid-state drives replaced the generator sets on the north dumper car pushers, which push loaded coal cars into position to be hoisted up onto the dumpers.

Concurrently with the dumper overhaul, both loaders received complete electrical overhauls, including replacement of the main generator sets with solid-state drives and new power transformers and control and monitoring systems. The loaders received other significant overhauls, including a new braking system for their numerous moving parts.

The upgrades coincide with the 50th anniversary of Pier 6, which began operations on one loader in December 1962. The second loader came on line in the spring of 1963. Norfolk Southern said it is planning an anniversary celebration in April 2013.

“This investment reflects our belief in the long-term prospects for the global coal market and Norfolk Southern's continuing pivotal role in that market,” said Danny Smith, NS senior vice president-energy and property. “This helps assure that we will remain the premier link to the global market place for high grade metallurgical and thermal coals alike.”